For the last couple of years, I have been in the Linux space and mostly tried to find the best distro, best file manager, best terminal etc. I was caught up in the loop of finding the best programs to handle a job. This approach, unless controlled, usually leads to low productivity in the long term.
How so you might ask ? Well, this behavior is really relatable for some people. When I am talking about this subject, some of you might probably say, "Oh yes I have been there". In Linux world, there is even a term for this. Ricing.
Ricing means tweaking the configuration of your working environment to suit your personal needs. At particular level, one might consider this useful, and it indeed is. There are some workflow approaches, shortcuts and others that helps the developer access files and folders faster, learn by muscle memory and perform some set of actions quicker. Past that particular level and you are now in the over-ricing zone. Where you are essentially tweaking every aspect of each program, work environment to your needs, but at the same time you are never satisfied so you keep tweaking and changing settings, configs and what not. It reduces your productivity and at the end of the day when you look back, you realize you have done nothing but tweaking some stuff to find the best work environment.
This is what I call the loop (referring to the Bandersnatch here). You are in the loop. You need to get out and you need to get sh*t done. Don't worry about using the best tool out there, don't try to find the absolute efficient program. Just get it done.
This is in actuality a paradox. The paradox goes as such, "The more choices you have, the less satisfied you are". Seems about right when you think for a bit.
Top comments (1)
Totally agreed! I go down rabbit holes frequently. Let’s say there’s a problem I want to solve and I have a good way of doing it; then I want to do better and the first couple of searches give me more/ enough information; not stopping when it is time to do so, next thing I know I’m 10 layers deep looking into something irrelevant. It’s a pattern I’m actively trying to avoid lately.